It is a song that feels like it has existed forever. You know the one. Those opening notes, that gravelly, warm voice, and the simple promise that the world isn’t quite as bad as the morning news suggests. But if you are asking who sang What a Wonderful World, the answer starts with a man named Louis Armstrong, though the path that song took to become a global anthem was anything but simple.
Actually, it was a total flop at first.
Most people assume a hit this big was an instant smash. It wasn't. In the United States, it barely made a dent when it was released in 1967. The story of this song is a weird mix of racial tension, a corporate feud, and a jazz legend who was told he was "past his prime."
The Voice That Defined a Generation
Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong was already a deity in the jazz world by the time he walked into Bill Porter’s studio in Las Vegas. It was around midnight in the fall of 1967. Armstrong was 66 years old. His health was shaky.
He wasn't just a singer; he was the architect of the modern jazz solo. But by the late sixties, the music industry was obsessed with the Beatles and the psychedelic revolution. A gravel-voiced trumpeter singing a sweet ballad about trees and clouds seemed... well, out of touch.
But Louis loved it.
He saw something in those lyrics that the record executives missed. He grew up in the "Battlefield" neighborhood of New Orleans, a place defined by poverty and violence. When he sang about "friends shaking hands," he wasn't being naive. He was being defiant. He’d seen the worst of humanity and chose to sing about the best.
The Conflict You Probably Didn't Know About
Here is where it gets messy. Larry Newton, the president of ABC Records, hated the song. He wanted another upbeat "Hello, Dolly!" type of track. When he showed up to the recording session and heard a slow, sweeping ballad, he reportedly went ballistic.
Newton tried to stop the session. He was eventually kicked out of the studio and locked out so the band could finish the recording. In retaliation, Newton refused to promote the single in the United States.
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He buried it.
Because of that spiteful corporate move, who sang What a Wonderful World became a trivia question in the UK long before it was a known fact in America. It hit number one in Great Britain in 1968, making Armstrong the oldest male act to top the UK charts at the time. In the US? It sold fewer than 1,000 copies.
It took a movie about the Vietnam War to change everything.
The Good Morning Vietnam Renaissance
Fast forward to 1987. Louis Armstrong had been dead for sixteen years. Barry Levinson was directing a film called Good Morning, Vietnam, starring Robin Williams.
The film used the song during a montage of explosions, napalm, and chaos. The juxtaposition was jarring. It was brilliant. That irony—hearing Satchmo’s hopeful rasp over images of a world literally on fire—struck a nerve with a new generation.
Suddenly, everyone wanted to know who sang What a Wonderful World. The song re-entered the charts and became a massive hit in the States, twenty years after it was recorded. It proved that a good song doesn't have an expiration date; it just needs the right moment to be heard.
Why Does It Sound Like That?
If you listen closely to the original 1967 recording, there is a physical weight to the vocal. Armstrong’s gravelly tone—the result of years of "rough" singing and a career spent blowing a trumpet—provides a necessary grit.
If a "pretty" singer like Andy Williams or Frank Sinatra had recorded it first, it might have been too sugary. It would have been a greeting card. But with Louis? You believe him because you can hear the mileage in his voice.
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He wasn't just reading lyrics. He was testifying.
Other Voices: The Covers and the Confusion
While Armstrong owns the definitive version, he isn't the only one who found success with it. This is often where the "who sang" question gets a little blurry for younger listeners or those who grew up in the 90s.
Israel Kamakawiwoʻole (IZ)
Perhaps the most famous cover of all time. The native Hawaiian singer mashed it up with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" using only his ukulele. It’s a completely different vibe—ethereal, breezy, and heartbreakingly beautiful. If you hear a version that sounds like a tropical sunset, that’s IZ.
Joey Ramone
The punk rock legend gave it a go in 2002. It shouldn't work. A tall, lanky punk singer from Queens doing a jazz standard? And yet, it’s fantastic. It captures the same spirit of defiance that Armstrong originally intended, just with more distortion.
Eva Cassidy
Her version is often cited by vocal purists. It’s stripped back, haunting, and focuses entirely on the melody. Cassidy had a way of making every song sound like a private confession.
- Nick Cave and Shane MacGowan did a famously ragged, drunken-sounding version that is strangely moving.
- Celine Dion brought the big, cinematic power ballad energy to it.
- Rod Stewart took a swing at it during his "Great American Songbook" phase.
The Songwriters: The Men Behind the Curtain
We talk about the singer, but the architects were George David Weiss and Bob Thiele. Thiele actually used a pseudonym, "George Douglas," because of his complicated relationship with the record labels.
They wrote it specifically for Armstrong. They saw him as a bridge between races and generations. At the height of the Civil Rights movement, they wanted a song that spoke to the possibility of harmony.
It’s easy to dismiss the lyrics as "cheesy" now. But in 1967, singing "I see friends shaking hands / saying how do you do / they’re really saying / I love you" was a radical act. It was a plea for peace during one of the most violent decades in American history.
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The Technical Magic
The arrangement was handled by Artie Butler. He used a full orchestra, which was an expensive gamble at the time. The way the strings swell right as Louis hits the line "The colors of the rainbow..." is a masterclass in emotional manipulation (the good kind).
There’s a reason it’s used in almost every wedding and graduation video. It triggers a specific, universal sense of nostalgia. It makes you miss a time you might not have even lived through.
A Legacy That Won't Quit
So, who sang What a Wonderful World?
The short answer is Louis Armstrong. But the long answer involves a Hawaiian giant, a punk rocker, a spiteful record executive, and a movie about a war.
It’s one of the few songs that has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and preserved in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. It’s not just "oldies" music. It is a part of the human fabric.
When you hear it today, you aren't just hearing a song. You’re hearing the refusal of an old man to be cynical. You’re hearing a piece of history that survived corporate sabotage to become the most recognizable song on the planet.
Honestly, that’s pretty wonderful.
How to Truly Appreciate the Track
If you want to get the full experience, don't just listen to the radio edit. Look for the version that includes the spoken-word intro Louis recorded later. In it, he addresses the kids who asked him, "Pops, what do you mean, 'What a Wonderful World'? What about all the wars? What about the hunger?"
His response is the ultimate "actionable insight" of the song. He basically says that the world isn't inherently bad; it's what we're doing to it that's the problem. He argues that if we just gave love a chance, we'd see the beauty he was singing about.
Next Steps for Music Lovers:
- Listen to the 1967 original on a high-quality pair of headphones to catch the subtle "growl" in Louis's breath.
- Compare it to the Israel Kamakawiwoʻole version to see how the same lyrics can feel entirely different in a different culture.
- Watch the "Good Morning, Vietnam" sequence to understand how context can flip a song's meaning from sweet to ironic and back again.
- Check out Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues" to hear why he was a legend long before he ever sang a note of pop music.